In recent years, sporting equipment has been evolving to accommodate the need for increased protection. Due to the competitive and aggressive nature of some sports, it has been an objective of sports equipment makers to improve protective gear all the while permitting flexibility and comfort for the player. However, in many cases, an increase in protection can lead to a decrease in maneuverability due to the rigidity of the protective material.
Conventional hockey leg pads generally comprise two protective portions. One portion is located in the knee region and the other portion generally protects the shin region. However, depending on the length of the shin protecting region, the ankle may not be adequately protected. In cases where the shin protecting region substantially overlaps the ankle, the player may exhibit discomfort while moving and skating due to the obstructive nature of the rigid protective material at the bottom part of the leg pad. More specifically, the player may experience a limited range of motion in occurrences that require flexing the player's ankle. On the other hand, should the player need a greater range of motion in the ankle region, the player may use a shorter leg pad, but a part of the ankle or forefoot may then be exposed.
There is therefore a need for a hockey leg pad providing adequate protection in the ankle region and having an upper shell and a lower shell is movable relative to the upper shell. According to one feature, a band interconnects the lower shell to the upper shell such that the lower shell is movable between a first position and a second position in response to flexion of the ankle. The bottom part of the upper shell and the top part of the lower shell may overlap when the lower shell is in the first position.